Revelations « This Girl Remembers

Feed on: Posts; Comments

Revelations

April 23, 2008 by thisgirlremembers

I don’t remember ever seeing
The joy that is reflected
So brightly in the picture -
The brilliant smiles and
Entwined hands,
The leaning into one another
That suggests an ease that
I surely never witnessed.
You buried your first husband
At the age of twenty four,
And then the second nearly
Died of drink at twenty eight,
In a coma three full weeks
Following the accident
While your three babies waited
For their daddy to come home.
Perhaps one day you finally
Decided that the world’s goodwill
Could not be counted on,
And so you chose to stop
Letting anything invade
Your sorely injured heart.
For years I wondered if
You loved each other at all,
But at the end I could see
That it was real. It was.

-~-~-~-~

Three Word Wednesday prompt: picture, reflected, stop
Read Write Poem prompt: oil and vinegar

Posted in 3 Word Wednesday, poetry, read.write.poem | 15 Comments

15 Responses to “Revelations”

on April 23, 2008 at 11:15 am1 TC

Oh this is so sad. So heartfelt. But in the end, it seems you got a sense of peace from it as well.
on April 23, 2008 at 11:19 am2 Michelle Johnson

This almost brought me to tears. So much love in such a small space. I wonder, the people in the photo, are they any relation to you? Your poetry never ceases to pull me right in. Thanks for writing your beautiful words down for everyone to see. Have a nice day.
on April 23, 2008 at 11:46 am3 paisley

i think the thing you saw was acceptance.. i believe there is passion,, and then there is acceptance… i am not so sure this thing called love ever really existed…. what a beautiful piece.. and that photo is to die for!!!
on April 23, 2008 at 12:40 pm4 thisgirlremembers

Michelle, the photo is of my grandparents. She died two weeks ago. My grandfather (and my father and aunts) took care of her right up until the very end - I never before thought of him as a gentle or loving person, but the love he had for her was suddenly oh so palpable. I think it was in them all along. They just didn’t show it to the rest of us. Or sometimes to each other.
on April 23, 2008 at 2:18 pm5 Tammy

A heart wrenching poem that showed the love that time had hidden under the surface. I’m sorry for your loss.
on April 23, 2008 at 2:33 pm6 Tumblewords

A particularly powerful poem made more so by your explanatory prose. I’m so sorry for your loss.
on April 23, 2008 at 3:45 pm7 jan doble

this photo touches my heart…as does your poem. i can understand the situation you speak of, where there is love but it isn’t played out for all to see. yet in the end, it’s clear it was always there. this is a very nice piece.
on April 23, 2008 at 3:48 pm8 jan doble

…and i meant to stress that the love isn’t played out for ‘each other’ to see, either…but it is there, somewhere
on April 23, 2008 at 4:11 pm9 Linda Jacobs

Whenever I look at pictures of my mom and dad from that era, it makes me want to cry. Don’t know why except that the pictures bring them to life and make them
so young and innocent. Beautiful poem!
on April 23, 2008 at 4:15 pm10 pauline

this is heartbreakingly beautiful
on April 23, 2008 at 6:47 pm11 dale

This moved me too.
on April 23, 2008 at 9:08 pm12 Jujee

Thanks for sharing that, the poem and the picture fit one another perfectly.
on April 24, 2008 at 5:30 pm13 pia

I thought the photo was of your grandparents. The poem was so sad and so beautiful
on April 25, 2008 at 6:44 pm14 Linda - Nickers and Ink

So poignant and poetic. What a tale and so well told. This struck right at the heart.

Linda
Nickers and Ink

FRIENDLY FIRE, at Nickers and Ink
on April 28, 2008 at 4:59 am15 johemmant

Oh Catherine, I’m so sorry. This is a beautiful poem, superbly done and so very, very moving, I am in tears too. Big hugs to you.